Eye in the Sky

The head of the Center for Study of Culture and Tourism at Udayana University, A.A. P. Suryawan Wiranatha, suggests that a more complete and accurate inventory of accommodation in Bali could be achieved by using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

Wiranatha insists that in the increasing complex mix of starred hotels, melati hotels, villas and restaurants operating in Bali the government needs accurate and clear data for tourism planning purposes. Such information must be updated each year. “Without accurate data it will be difficult to study the carrying capacity Bali for 5-10 years in the future,” Wiranatha explained.

He continued saying that accurate and complete data, including statistics on tourism, should be shared with the public via a website.

By getting a geographic fix on tourism businesses together with complete information on ownership, address, number of rooms and price per room any cost of establishing the GPS-based system would be justified.

In the end, a complete electronic mapping of Bali’s tourism business would help the government identify unlicensed tourism businesses, such as illegal villas. Officials working in the field encountering villas that are rented out commercially could enter the data into the mapping system.

He said the large number of accommodation providers, many located on small alleys ad side streets, would require a thorough survey to ensure all business are entered into the data base.